The Micro-investigators programme uses citizen science to improve our knowledge of the microplastics pollution in local rivers.
In March 2022, heads of UN Member nations came together to endorse negotiations towards the first international Treaty on Plastic Pollution, emphasising concern over the impacts of microplastics in the environment. The effects of microplastics ecosystems and human health are still unresolved, and the prevalence of microplastics in many waterways is unknown. The Micro-investigators programme aims to empower communities through environmental education, indigenous Māori values, and raising awareness of microplastics pollution in waterways.
The programme uses an inexpensive and straightforward methodology for sampling Southland rivers and isolating microplastics in the lab. From 2020 to 2022, under the leadership of Christine Liang, the programme engaged eight primary schools in the Southland region in coordination with Southland Enviroschools and with support of local councils (Environment Southland, WasteNet Southland) and community groups. In addition, students from three high schools were involved in the laboratory analysis and microplastics identification. Field and lab sessions were facilitated by tertiary students from the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT). The presence of microplastics was detected in nine waterways across Southland, and the data were published on the Micro-Investigators website – freely available to the public.
Six microplastics sampling kits (funded by community grants) will assist the community with sampling for microplastics independently, moving towards an autonomous sampling programme – a hallmark of a good citizen science project. By investigating the presence of microplastics in local waterways, the programme seeks to ‘make the invisible visible’, demystify science, and raise young people’s awareness of the problem.
In 2022 and 2023, Rani Fernandez, Karen Luttrell, and Seethal Sivarajan joined the Micro-investigators programme within the School of Environmental Management at SIT. They are helping the younger generation realise and understand the value of taking care of our environment towards a sustainable future, by empowering school students to gather data on microplastics in local waterways. The team also plans to continue the involvement of current and former SIT students with school visits and the programme website. The new team are keen to recruit other divisions of Te Pūkenga to participate in the coming years.